January

Drexel University President John A. Fry is leading a delegation to Israel to attend the second Bi-national Symposium on Translational Research in Biomedicine and Biomedical Engineering, jointly sponsored by Hebrew University’s (HUJI) Institute for Drug Research (IDR) and Drexel.

Drexel University has received a $1 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation to expand research on the fundamental science of interactions between plasma, which is an ionized gas, and living systems. The research, funded by the W.M. Keck Foundation, will be led by the University’s Anthony J. Drexel Plasma Institute.

A new initiative at Drexel University has an ambitious goal: to advance senior women faculty in the fields of engineering and technology in academic institutions across the United States. Now, thanks to a generous grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, this new initiative, the Executive Leadership in Academic Technology and Engineering program (ELATE at Drexel™), will be able to test just how well this goal is being reached.

Marquita Freeman-Walker is currently enrolled in Drexel's Certified Medical Assistant Pipeline Program, which provides training, mentoring and job opportunities for residents of West Philadelphia in an effort to build real connections between Drexel and the West Philadelphia community.

A set of new software programs, developed by Drexel University computer scientists, could soon help protect the speech of the disenfranchised and ensure the voice of the whistle-blower, all by confirming or contorting one’s writing style.

Drexel University’s Dr. Craig Newschaffer, a renowned autism expert and chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Drexel University School of Public Health, is available to comment on the proposed changes to the definition of autism and how they would impact the autistic population.

The yearlong Bicentennial of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University will feature a major new exhibition opening March 24 called The Academy at 200: The Nature of Discovery. A special series of Town Square programs, some led by world-renowned experts, will focus on today’s critical environmental issues, and a science symposium will be held in the fall. For museum visitors, monthly themed activities, giveaways, and discounted admission days will provide fun and learning for the whole family.

As Wikipedia and other websites shut down today in protest of anti-piracy bills now in Congress that critics say could amount to web censorship, Drexel University’s Dr.Rob D’Ovidio, associate professor of criminal justice and director of the University’s program in computer crime and digital forensics, is available to comment on the far-reaching effects of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA).

In order to help assess the power that food has over an individual, Dr. Oz added the “Power of Food Scale” to his website. This scale was created and validated by Dr. Michael Lowe, a professor of psychology in Drexel University’s College of Arts and Sciences.

Philadelphia’s 17th Annual MLK Day of Service, Monday January 16, will feature a first-ever on-site and Internet-based virtual job fair in an effort to empower Philadelphia residents economically. Drexel University is leading the Freedom Rings Partnership in hosting a digital job fair at the same location as the onsite job fair at Girard College, located at 21st Street and Girard Avenue, which is already capped at 600 attendees.

A large population-based study in Sweden indicates that there is no link between smoking during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children. The study, led by Dr. Brian Lee, an assistant professor at Drexel University and a team of international collaborators, will appear in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and was published online in December.

A special episode of Drexel's DNEWS on DUTV, which airs this Friday, January 13 at 8 pm, is devoted to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University. Tune in and learn more about this unique institution.

Today, one in five Americans finds his or her spouse via online dating websites, but according to Drexel researchers, marriage isn’t the only measure of success among people looking for love in cyberspace.

As the 2012 presidential race heats up on the heels of the Iowa caucus, Dr. William L. Rosenberg, a professor of political science at Drexel University, is available for interviews with the media. Rosenberg is a well-known expert in the presidential election process as well as public opinion and media related to the campaigns.